Gospel of Matthew Chapter 4 Vs. 24

Jesus Ministers to Great Crowds

 

Matthew 4:24 “And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.”

throughout all Syria... A district of ten cities, of which Damascus was the chief. Syria was the area immediately northeast of Galilee.

with divers diseases... Greek: nosos, translated "disease" 6 times (Mat. 4:24; Mark 1:34; Luke 4:40; 6:17; 9:1; Acts 19:12); "sickness" 5 times (Mat. 4:23; 8:17; 9:35; 10:1; Mark 3:15); and "infirmity" once (Luke 7:21). Not malakia, "disease" as in Mat. 4:23; 9:35; 10:1.

possessed with devils... Would be Demons or Unclean Spirits.

which were lunatick... Greek: seleniazomai, from selene, moon; to be moonstruck, that is, insane. Found only here and in Mat. 17:15.

had the palsy... Greek: paralutikos, to be paralyzed (Mat. 4:24; 8:6; 9:2; Mark 2:3-9; Luke 5:24; 5:18; Acts 8:7; 9:33).

The Bible says that if all the miracles that Jesus did were written in a book, there would not be enough books in the entire world to hold them. You can easily see how this fame would spread.

Literally thousands were healed, freed from demon spirits, restored to sanity, and stopped shaking from the palsy. All these people had to do was to believe, and just one touch from Jesus’ hand restored them. You can easily see that His powers were not limited.

As we will see in verse 25, people from all areas that were in traveling distance, brought their sick to Jesus and then carried the message back of His great powers. He not only healed the body, but the spirit, as well.

The ministry of Jesus — and probably also the ministry of the four men he called (Mat. 4:18-22) — was dramatic for multitudes of people heard of Jesus and began to flock to Him. The news about Him spread all over Syria, the area north of Galilee.

Book of Hosea Chapter 1 Vs. 7

 Hosea's Wife and Children

But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the LORD their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen. Hos. 1:7

I will have... God chose to intervene on behalf of Hezekiah when Jerusalem was besieged at the hands of the Assyrians (in 701 B.C.; 2Kgs. Chapter 19; Isa. Chapter 37).

This is just saying that Judah will not be overrun by Assyria.

and will save...They will be spared from this, because they have not been as unfaithful to God as Israel (10 tribes), has been. They would be taken captive, but not by Assyria, and not until over 100 years later. They had a few godly leaders, and Israel did not. They will not be saved in battle; they will be saved from battle.

and will not... Judah will not have to depend on weapons to save them. God will save them. Perhaps this refers to the battle where Sennacherib, king of Assyria, lost 185,000 men in one night (2Kgs. 19:35). The angel of the Lord killed them. God won the battle for Judah. This was during the reign of Hezekiah. This is the very same army that had overrun Israel (10 tribes), and defeated them.

The light of God’s grace shines through the gloom of impending judgment. Judah, the Southern Kingdom, in contrast with Israel, would experience the Lord’s love in the form of deliverance from the Assyrians. This would not be accomplished through human military might (symbolized by the bow, sword, etc.), but by the Lord’s intervention. This promise was fulfilled in 701 b.c. when God supernaturally annihilated 185,000 soldiers in the powerful Assyrian army in one night thereby ending its campaign against Judah (2Kgs. 19:32-36).

The light of God’s grace shines through the gloom of impending judgment. Judah, the Southern Kingdom, in contrast with Israel, would experience the Lord’s love in the form of deliverance from the Assyrians. This would not be accomplished through human military might (symbolized by the bow, sword, etc.), but by the Lord’s intervention. This promise was fulfilled in 701 b.c. when God supernaturally annihilated 185,000 soldiers in the powerful Assyrian army in one night thereby ending its campaign against Judah (2Kgs. 19:32-36).

Gospel of Matthew Chapter 4 Vs. 23

Jesus Ministers to Great Crowds

 

Matthew 4:23 “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.”

And Jesus went... First traveling evangelist and missionary (cp. Mat. 9:35; Mark 6:6). Note His threefold work as He "went about" (see, Mat. 9:35; Acts 10:38).

healing all manner... Greek: therapeuo, to wait upon menially, to relieve of disease. Translated "heal" 38 times and "cure" 5 times.

Jesus was about the Father’s business. He taught, preached, and healed in their churches and wherever people had needs, the three main aspects of Christ’s public ministry.

There were a number of little towns in Galilee. Many miracles were done in these cities.

Jesus stated that if the miracles that were done in Capernaum had been done in Sodom, they would have repented and been saved. In Capernaum, they believed that Jesus was the carpenter’s son, not the Son of God.

By Deeds

The work of the Lord was not limited to preaching. His deeds were as important as His words, for a great question in the minds of the Jews would be, “Can this One claiming to be Messiah perform the works of Messiah?” Mat. 4:23 is an important summary statement crucial to Matthew’s theme (cf. Mat. 9:35, almost identical to Mat. 4:23). Several important elements are included in this verse. (1) Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues. The ministry of this One who claimed to be King of the Jews was conducted among the Jews. He ministered in synagogues, places of Jewish gatherings for worship. (2) This One was involved in “teaching” and preaching. He thus was involved in a prophetic ministry for He is “the Prophet” announced in Deut. 18:15-19. (3) He was proclaiming the good news of the kingdom. His message was that God was moving to fulfill His covenantal program with Israel and to establish His kingdom on the earth. (4) He was healing every disease and sickness among the people (cf. “teaching,” “preaching,” and “healing” in Mat. 9:35). This authenticated that He is indeed the Prophet, for His words were backed up by authenticating signs. All these actions should have convinced the Jewish people that God was moving in history to accomplish His purposes. They were responsible to get ready by repenting from their sins and acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah.

Book of Hosea Chapter 1 Vs. 6

 Hosea's Wife and Children

And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And God said unto him, Call her name Loruhamah: for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away. Hos. 1:6

And she conceived... The 2nd prophecy in Hosea (Hos. 1:6-7, fulfilled). Next, Hos. 1:9.

Five Predictions—Fulfilled:

1. I will have mercy on the house of Israel no more (Hos. 1:6).

2. I will utterly take them away (Hos. 1:6; 2Kgs. 17:1-41).

3. I will have mercy on the house of Judah (Hos. 1:7).

4. I will save the house of Judah.

5. I will not save them by carnal means.

Call her name... Lo-ruhamah, I will have mercy no more, or I will not have compassion (Hos. 1:6; cp. Rom. 9:25; 1Pet. 2:10).

no more have... This was literally fulfilled. The ten-tribe kingdom was never restored and never will be, as such, again. God did utterly take them away and only those who clung to Judah and all the kingdom of David were restored with them as a nation; the rest were completely destroyed. God did have mercy on the house of Judah and they were restored (Hos. 1:7).

Lo-ruhamah... Literally “not pitied,” this daughter is named to symbolize God bringing judgment on Israel, no longer extending His favor towards them.

The "she", in the verse above, is speaking of Hosea's wife. Perhaps the reason this child is a female, is to show that not only the males in Israel are guilty of spiritual adultery and deserve to be punished, but the females as well. The name "Lo-ruhamah" means not pitied. This name tells us that God will not pity these evil people, (Israel). He will let them go into captivity to punish them for their spiritual adultery (worship of false gods).

Lo-Ruhamah: “Not loved”

The second child received the name Lo-Ruhamah, which means “she is not loved.” Her name indicated that the Lord’s love for Israel would be cut off for a time. “Ruhamah,” from the verb rāḥam, describes tender feelings of compassion, such as those expressed by a parent for a child (cf. 1Kgs. 3:26; Psm. 103:13; Isa. 49:15) or by a man for his younger brother (cf. Gen. 43:30). At Sinai the Lord described Himself (Exo. 34:6) as “the compassionate… God” (’ēl raḥûm) who is willing to forgive iniquity (Exo. 34:6). However, despite His gracious character, times come when He will no longer “leave the guilty unpunished” (Exo. 34:7). Such a time had come for the Northern Kingdom.

Gospel of Matthew Chapter 4 Vs. 22

 Jesus Calls the First Disciples

Matthew 4:22 “And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.”

You see, again, James and John did not hesitate when Jesus called. They left their father, their means of support, their home, and all worldly possessions, and followed Jesus. These two were, also, known as “sons of thunder”. John, as we would see in later lessons, was very close to Jesus. He was known as John the beloved.

The mother of James and John would ask Jesus to let her two sons sit on the right and left of Jesus in His kingdom. He did not grant her wish. He said it was not His to give.

Matthew noted that James and John… left not only their fishing, but also their father to begin following Jesus.

Book of Hosea Chapter 1 Vs. 5

Hosea's Wife and Children

 

And it shall come to pass at that day, that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel. Hos. 1:5

break the bow... The bow was a common euphemism denoting military strength, the principal instrument of warfare in Israel. Fulfillment came in 722 B.C. when Assyria invaded.

valley of Jezreel... Jezreel, called Esdraelon, extends 10 miles in breadth from the Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea, near Carmel; it was the great battlefield (see Rev. 16:14-16), adjoining the Valley of Megiddo, which will become an avenue of blessing (verse 11), when Christ returns in triumph.

The bloodshed of Jezreel would “reoccur” in the house of Jehu, and his dynasty would come to a violent end, just as Ahab’s did. This happened (in 752 B.C.; 2 Kgs. 15:10).

This valley of Jezreel has been the location of many battles. This is the very same place, where Gideon defeated the Midianites as above. We see in this Scripture above, that this is to be the location of Israel's defeat as well. "The breaking of the bow" shows their helplessness in battle.

God told Hosea that the demise of Jehu’s dynasty was to be accompanied by the downfall of the Northern Kingdom. In a display of poetic justice the Lord would break Israel’s bow in the Valley of Jezreel, the site of Jehu’s sin. Breaking the bow refers to the destruction of the nation’s military might (cf. 1Sam. 2:4; Psm. 46:9; Jer. 49:35).

The general fulfillment of this prophecy came in 734-722 b.c. when the Assyrians overran Israel and reduced it to a province within their empire (2Kgs. 15:29; 17:3-5). The Jezreel plain in particular was probably conquered in 733 b.c. by Tiglath-Pileser III. This valley, which had been the scene of a great military victory under Gideon (Jdg. 6:33; 7:1-25), again became a symbol of national disgrace and defeat, as it had been after Saul’s death (1Sam. 29:1, 29:11; 31:1-13).

Gospel of Matthew Chapter 4 Vs. 21

Jesus Calls the First Disciples

Matthew 4:21 “And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James [the son] of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.”

James the son... English form of Jacob. Brother of John and son of Zebedee (Mat. 4:21; 20:20; Mark 1:19; Luke 5:10-11). One of the 12 apostles (Mat. 10:2; Mark 3:17; Luke 6:14; Acts 1:13). One of three most intimate with Jesus (Mark 5:37; Mat. 17:1-8; 26:36-46; see also Mark 13:3-4; Luke 9:54; John 21:1-14). First martyr among the apostles (Act. 12:1-2). Tradition says that he was of the tribe of Levi through his father and of Judah through his mother (of both the priestly and the royal house), that he preached in India with Peter and later in Spain, becoming the patron saint of Spain.

This James is easy to distinguish from the other men named James in the New Testament, because he is never mentioned in Scripture apart from his brother John. His martyrdom by Herod Agrippa I marked the beginning at a time of severe persecution in the early church (Acts 12:2).

John his brother... The sons of Zebedee, two of the 12 apostles, were fishermen in partnership with their father and also Simon Peter (Luke 5:10). Since James is normally mentioned first, he was probably older than his brother John.

Peter, James and John formed the inner circle among the disciples, who exclusively witnessed the raising of Jairus’s daughter (Mark 5:37), Christ’s transfiguration (Mark 9:2), and the Gethsemane experience (Mark 14:33). But James and John are remembered with less distinction for their impulsive desire to destroy the non-receptive Samaritans with fire from heaven (Luke 9:54), and their desire to be first in Christ’s kingdom (Mark 10:35-40).

James is the first and only apostle whose martyrdom is recorded in Scripture. In A.D. 44 King Herod beheaded James and planned the same for Peter (Acts 12:1-3). John, by contrast, lived a very long life and was a prominent leader in the Jerusalem church (Gal. 2:9).

Among the 12 apostles, only John and Peter are given individual recognition in the Book of Acts and in Paul’s epistles. John wrote the fourth gospel, his three epistles, and the Revelation. John never mentions by name his brother James or himself, except in Revelation, and as the beloved disciple in the gospel. Hence, James is mentioned in Scripture only by Matthew, Mark and Luke (Acts included).

The message of the coming kingdom needed to be proclaimed widely so that many could hear and could become, by repentance, subjects of His kingdom. The calling carried with it a cost, for it involved leaving not only one’s profession but also one’s family responsibilities.